Google I/O 2011: Texas Instruments and Fossil Bring MetaWatch Tech to Developer Conference

Google’s I/O Developer Conference is underway and there are plenty of technology goodies making it out onto the conference floor. One of these innovations happened to appeal to me on a personal note. Being a bit of a watch fanatic and a Fossil fan myself; MetaWatch, that happens to be a an advanced development group exploring technology-based opportunities for watches, was on hand showcasing their wares.

The whole concept, as you can imagine, like Sony Ericsson or LG and other companies have done in the past, is to take mobile/tablet interfaces and extend them to your wrist watch. Meta Watch platforms are available in analog/digital or digital versions, and include: a 3 ATM water resistant stainless steel case; leather strap; mineral glass crystal; vibrating motor; three-axis accelerometer, and ambient light sensor. Optimized for low-power operation, both watch platforms are based on the MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontroller and CC2560 Bluetooth host controller interface solution from Texas Instruments Incorporated.

For the sporty individuals

The two watches that made it out to the event were the MSP-WDS430BT 2000D that featured -

• Water-resistant (3 ATM)
• Mineral crystal lens
• Vibrating motor
• Three-axis accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor
• 96x96 Dot Matrix Display - Highly Reflective; easily read in direct sunlight
• 6 Buttons
• Includes programming /charging clip & USB cable

Elegant and classy

The second watch – MSP-WDS430BT 1000AD, is a slightly more elegant device designed to feature both analog and digital options. Its features include -

• Water-resistant (3 ATM)
• Mineral crystal lens
• Vibrating motor
• Three-axis accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor
• Dual OLED Displays
• Analog Hands
• 3 Buttons
• Includes programming /charging clip & USB cable

Both watches come with the capability to be easily programmed through an external clip and cable so there’s no need to actually open the watch. They also support open source projects that support both CCS (Code Composer Studio) and IAR tool chains.

The 2000D and 1000D Meta Watches are going to be available in the US and Europe on pre order for $199 and will be out in June. As of now, it’s not going to make it to Asia or Japan.

For more updates on the Google I/O Conference, click here